Refrigerator



May 7,'1940. w. T. HEDLUND REFRIGERATOR Filed July 25, 1937 Patented May 7, 19.40

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -REFRIGERATOR of Delaware Application July 23, 1937, Serial No. 155,329

12 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to freezing trays for producing ice and other frozen matter in household refrigerators.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improvement whereby freezing trays having a front closure member are effectively sealed in a compartment of a cooling element or evaporator of a refrigerator. I accomplish this by providing mechanism to automatically urge a tray rearward in a freezing compartment when the tray is inserted in the compartment.

The tray front or closure member is preferably provided with a sealing strip or gasket to prevent the escape of cold air from the freezing compartment when the tray is positioned therein. The mechanism to urge the tray rearwardly may be associated with a lever operative to break the ice bond between the tray bottom and its supporting surface.

The invention, together with the above vand other objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description and accompanying drawing forming a part of this 25 specification, and of which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the upper part of a household refrigerator having a cooling element provided with freezing compartments adapted to receive trays embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side sectional view of the cooling element shown in Fig. 1 to illustrate more clearly a tray positioned therein;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2 with the tray partly withdrawn from 35 the cooling element; and,

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views similar to Fig. 3 illustrating modifications of the invention.

' Referring to Fig. 1, a refrigerator I0 is provided with a thermally insulated storage compartment which is cooled and maintained at a desired low temperature by a. cooling element or evaporator II. 'I'he cooling element II is provided with a plurality of freezing compartments adapted to receive trays I2 for freezing Water and the like.

As shown in Fig. 2, the forward end of each tray is provided with side plates or reenforcement members 2li to which are secured a tray front or closure member I3. The tray front I3 is preferably provided with a flange I6 about the periphery thereof to receive a gasket or sealing strip I5. When the tray I2 is positioned in the freezing compartment IIa, the gasket I bears against a front baille plate 28 of the cooling element Il to provide an air-tight seal and prevent the escape of cold air from the freezing compartment.I The tray front I3 may be formed with a rounded portion I4 which is open at the bottom to provide a finger grip for the tray.

In order to break the ice bond which is formed 5 between the bottom of the tray and the shelf 30 of the cooling element Il, a lever I'I is pivoted at 2I to the side plate 20. The lever I1 extends through an opening in the tray front I3 and is provided with a handle portion at the outer end thereof. The lever I I is provided with acurved or rounded portion I8 which isv adapted to contact and bear against a lug or projection I9 which extends inward from a side wall of the cooling element II. When the outer end of lever Il is raised the portion I8 is lowered and bears against the lug I 9, whereby a separating force is produced between the tray I2 and shelf 30 to break the ice bond formed at the bottom of the tray.

In accordance with my invention, in order to automatically urge the tray AI2 rearwardly when it is positioned in the freezing compartment, I provide mechanism which is operatively associated with the tray and lug I 9. I accomplish this by employing a snap-acting mechanism including a lever 22 having downward extending bifurcatcd arms 23 and '24. The upper rend of lever 22 is pivoted at 28 to lever I'l and movement thereof is limited by spaced pins 26 and 21 which are fixed to lever I'I. A coil spring 25 having one end secured to lever I'I and the other end secured to lever 22 is provided to impart al snap-acting movement to lever 22 so that the latter will assume` either one of the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

g The-operation of the mechanism just described is substantially as follows: When the tray I2 is inserted 1n freezing compart IIa the lever 22 is in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the rightw hand arm 23 above the lug I9. This permits the arm 23 of lever 22 to pass the lug I9 and, when the tray is moved rearward a sufficient distance, the lug I9 contacts the left-hand arm 24. With continued rearward movement of tray I2 the 45 le'ver 22 is rotated about the pivot 28 and, when the spring has moved past its dead-center position, the lever 22 will move to the position shown in Fig. 2. In moving to this position the right-hand arm 23 of the lever contacts the lug 50 I9. Due to the tension cf coil spring 25 the tray I2 is automatically urged rearward whereby the trayl front I3 effectively bears against the front baille 25; By providing theA gasket I5 the tray y I2 is effectively sealed within freezing compart- -co1d by the cooling element.

With the ice bond broken at the tray bottom, f

the tray I2 may be moved forward by the finger grip Ill. With initial forward movement of the tray the lever 22 is rotated about-its pivotl 28 and, when the spring 25 has moved past its deadcenter position, the lever 22 will snap to the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position the right-hand arm 23 is above the lug I9, thereby permitting withdrawal of the tray from the freezing compartment IIa.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification in which the tray release lever II is omitted. The lever 22a having arms 23a and 24a is pivoted at 28a directly to the side plate 20a. 'I'he pins 26a and f 21a which limit the movement of lever 22a are fixed to side plate 20a. 'Ihe coil spring 25a is secured to the lever 22a and to the side plate 20a. The operation of this modification is the same as that described above in connection with the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the exception that no mechanism is provided to break the ice bond between the tray bottom and shelf 30 o'f the cooling element.

In Fig. I have shown a further modification in *which the tray release lever I'Ib is arranged to impart an initial forward movement to tray I2 when the o uter end thereof is raised upward. In this modification the lever 22h is pivotally con- 'nected to a side plate 20h instead of to the tray release lever, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The coil spring 251i` is secured to the side plate 20h and to lever 22h. The pins 2Gb and 21h are fixed to lever IfIb to limit the movement of lever 22h.

' In this modification, when the tray is positioned in the freezing compartment, upward movement vof the outer end of lever I'Ib lowers the pin 2Ib.

The pin 2lb lbears against the lever 22b and immediately starts moving the latter when the outer end of lever Ilb is raised to break the ice bond at the tray bottom. With suicient downward movement of pin 2lb the coil spring 25h is moved past its dead-center position whereby the righthand arm 23h will move above the lug I9. At the same time the left-hand arm 24h bears against the lug I9 to cause forward movement of the tray when the ice bond is being broken.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be f apparent that various modifications and changes 2. The combination with a cooling element having a freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment and having a front closure member, and mechanism actuated when said tray is being inserted in said compartment to urge said tray rearward whereby said front vclosure member bears against a wall of said cooling element.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 and including a sealing strip fixed to said closure member to provide an air-tight -seal when said tray is positioned in said compartment and urged rearwardly therein.

having av freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment, a lever carried by said tray and operative to lift said tray when the latter is positioned in said compartment, and mechanism associated with said lever and operative to urge said tray rearward when the latter is inserted in said compartment.

4. The combination with a cooling element 5. The combination with a cooling element having a freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment, said tray having a front closure member provided with an opening, a lever carried byl said tray and having 'a handle portion extending through said opening, said lever being operative to lift said tray when the latter is positioned in said compartment, and mechanism associated with said lever and operative to urge said tray rearward when the latter is inserted in said compartment.

6. The combination with a cooling element having a freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment, a member pivotally carried by said tray and adapted to cooperate with a part of said cooling element, and means including said member to urge said tray rearward when `the latter is inserted in said compartment and said member contacts and is moved by said part.

'7. In a cooling member having a freezing compartment and a tray member adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from the compartment, the improvement which consists in providing an abutment on one of the members, and mechanism on the other of the members arranged to contact said abutment due to movement of the tray member as it is inserted into position in the compartment, said mechanism being operative to urge the tray member rearward when it is actuated by contacting said abutment.

8. The improvement defined in claim 7 wherein said mechanism is moved from a. first to a second position to urge the tray member rearward when it is actuated by contacting said abutment, and said mechanism contacts said abutment to move it from the second to the first position when the tray member is withdrawn from the compartment.

9. The improvement definedin claim 1 which further includes providing a lever on one of the members which is capable of. co-operating with l the other of the members to raise the tray member when the latter is inposition in the compartment, and a connection whereby said mechanism imparts forward movement to the tray member when said lever isl actuated to raise the tray member.

10. In a cooling element having a freezing compartment and a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from the compartment, means responsive to movement of the tray when it is being inserted in the compartment to urge the tray rearward, and means to limit rearward als movement of the tray effected by said last-men tioned means.

11. The combination with a cooling element having a freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment, and mechanism actuated by movementl of the tray as said tray is inserted in said compartment to urge said tray rearward.

12. The combination with a cooling element having a freezing compartment, of a tray adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from said compartment, and snap-acting mechanism actuated by movement'I of the tray as said tray is inserted 5 in said compartment'to urge said tray rearward.

WILLIAM T. HEDLUND. 

